By Dimeji Ogedengbe
News reaching us at NET on Sunday March 27, 2011 is that a fire outbreak has occurred at The Balmoral premises located on Oregun road, Ikeja where the City People Awards was being held.
According to NET sources, the fire started at about 4:05pm shortly after the event kicked off. A caterer who was trying to light the liquid-spirit used to heat the food that was to be served at the event mistakenly lit her dress on fire.
She hurriedly removed the skirt throwing it into the air, but it got in contact with the canopy, which served as an overhead covering at the premises. Efforts to quench the fire with an extinguisher proved abortive as the extinguisher’s gas only made matters worse as it accelerated the fire outbreak.
Celebrities and guests scampered all around as they rushed towards the nearest exit, which was difficult to see as the whole premises was filled with smoke.
Cars that were parked inside the premises were abandoned by their owners as they ran for their lives but rescuers managed to break into the cars by smashing the side glasses and wheeling them out to safety. By the time the Fire Service men arrived, it was too late to salvage anything but they were able to stop the fire from extending to the next hall, we gathered.
We learnt that Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, who had just arrived at the scene when the fire started, upon seeing the developing crisis made a u-turn and left the area immediately.
Management of The Balmoral and City People declined to any media comments
We also gathered that it was only the caterer and a Lagos State Television (LTV) staff that sustained injuries. Property worth 50 million naira was lost in the newly renovated hall.
Photo Credit: ABIODUN OMOTOSO
1 comment
Pls I don’t want to believe it’s d caterer’s fault, is jst a cover up 4 balmoral. over the yrs dt have had to attend event in balmoral have noticed their poor electrical connection which d management of balmoral don’t think is in appropmate to be left like that, I can remember calling d attention of the invent planner on 2 different occation that somthing is wrong cos I can persive burnt wire. Why are u pips trying to hide balmoral under the skirt of a poor catering outfit. I will advice we do a time schedule to show routine of d event. If d event was to shoot @ 4pm food wud be delayed 4 1hour 30mins i.e d caterer have 1hr30mins, there4 is nt possible is d caterer. For once let say no to injustice.